Dear Readers, it has been over three years since I formally finished this story. Due to the continued response of the community, I have decided to revive the story for one more chapter.

Chapter 33 – A Long Time Gone

Henry sat back in the old leather chair looking at the pile of files on his desk. He sighed with exhausted exasperation thinking about how much more work he still had to go and how much little time he had to finish it. But before he could continue, there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in" he coughed out, his voice tired.

The door opened and it was Lily, "Henry you've been in this office for the whole day, come downstairs and eat dinner before it gets cold. It's our first night with the whole family together in a long time."

Henry sighed again and said "Okay, be down in a moment."

"No, you'll be down right now" Lily said sternly, her face matching her voice, yet it had aged delicately. Henry looked at her for a moment and saw the gentle wrinkles that had formed from her smile and where her brow had furrowed one too many times because the kids were frustrating time and time again as toddlers.

He smiled softly and a small chuckle came through somehow as Lily still had a stern, impatient look on her face.

"What?" she said as Henry got up from his chair.

Henry walked up to her and said "Have I told you I love you today?"

"Yeah, you said it this morning when you woke up" Lily said, looking at him with a soft smile.

"Well, can I say it again?" Henry asked, putting his arms around her waist and leaning in for a kiss.

"Yeah..." Lily said as her voice trailed off.

"Alright, well, we can't stay up here forever, the kids will get suspicious" Lily smiled, holding her face close to Henry's chest as he kissed her forehead.

They went down the stairs and followed the long dark hallway of Grimmauld Place to the kitchen with the long table that was much too long for the family of four on a regular day.

"Finally! Dad I'm hungry!" Hayden said with annoyance.

"Son, one day you'll have a job and you'll understand that it's a lot of work" Henry remarked with a sigh.

His son just did not understand the value of hard work, Hogwarts was coming easy for him so far and he barely had to lift a finger.

"Now, you two, please do not fight at the dinner table" Lily calmly said as she placed the freshly cooked meal on the table.

"Wait, where's Anna?" Henry asked noticing his daughter was not at the table.

"She'll be home soon. She also got caught up with work. The Auror Department is keeping you two busy lately?" Lily replied as Hayden just rolled his eyes in annoyed hunger.

"Yeah, well, like father like daughter I suppose" Henry said still exhausted.

Hayden looked at his father and said "Dad, I don't want to be an Auror."

"If that's what you desire, then you find the job that makes you happy. It's no fact that your family has a history of being Aurors though. But that's okay, what do you want to do with your life?"

"Well, I've thought of it and I want to be a professor at Hogwarts. I really love potions class." Hayden smiled wide.

"You sound like your great Aunt Hermione now. She loved potions class from what I've heard about her time at Hogwarts." Lily smiled.

"She loved every subject at Hogwarts" Hayden smirked.

Henry heard a quiet poof of the flume network and a quick shuffle of feet. The kitchen door opened and a figure with fire red hair rushed to the table sitting down as quickly as it could.

"Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?" Anna said quickly taking off her long Auror robes and laying them on the back of her chair.

"Well, your brother wants to teach potions at Hogwarts" Lily smiled.

"Oh, awesome for you. You'll do great! Didn't Aunt Hermione love potions while she was at Hogwarts?" Anna asked.

"Aunt Hermione loved every subject while she was at Hogwarts and she'll correct you quickly enough if you're ever in the headmaster's office." Hayden corrected.

"Office?" Anna asked with a confused look in her eyes.

Hayden paused for a moment with disbelief "Anna. She's the headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Hayden, I'm sorry, I've been on a very long assignment that I didn't return from for quite a long time" she paused and looked at her father momentarily with a side glance, "and I had to lay ow for a while too so I am sorry if I missed some important things."

"Well, anyway, I'm so glad we're all back together again, everyone is safe and healthy and happy." Lily smiled.

Henry just sat momentarily, looking as his children and his beautiful wife as they talked and put the dinner Lily had worked hard on to cook for Anna's arrival home from the mission he so dangerously had sent her on. He couldn't help but reminisce about the moment he sent her away.

"Anna, I don't have much of a choice here, but I have to send you on an extended stay mission, its quiet and undercover" Henry said looking at the casefiles on his desk.

"Okay, I'm ready for it" Anna said confidently, her fingers twitching in anxiety though.

"Alright, well, begin preparing by reading the casefiles tonight, you'll leave in two days" Henry said listening to the sounds of other Aurors walking past his office.

"Thank you for the opportunity sir, I look forward to it" Anna replied and turning to leave.

Just before she opened the door, Henry spoke up "Hey, Annie-bug?"

"Yeah Dad?" she looked at him nervously, her hand on the door knob.

Henry paused for a moment, "I love you. I'll see you at home."

Anna looked her father for a moment, a soft smile on her face, "I love you too. Do you want me to break the news to mom?"

"No, no, she'll know I'm the one who's sending you anyway, so I'll tell her tonight." Henry replied with his chin resting in his palm.

"Okay, well, I'll see you at home, dad" Anna smiled.

O.o.o.O

"What? No! Henry absolutely not!" Lily sat on the edge of their bed.

"Lily, I don't have much of a choice." Henry half confidently replied.

"Henry, we both chose to stay behind and train Aurors after your accidents that you had from being on assignments. That's the only reason Anna wanted to be an Auror was to train them, she's not ready for a mission like this and she's never been on one! Henry I don't know what you were thinking?!" Lily held back her tears.

"If I didn't need her amazing skills she got from her mother, I would find another Auror" Henry said softly, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder before she quickly moved it away from his touch.

"Henry, you're sending our only daughter into a death trap" Lily said quietly before putting her head down on her pillow, her back to him.

Henry looked at her figure laying in the bed and put his arm around her waist. She was softly crying herself to sleep as he pulled her close to his body. He knew that if he just held her close and said nothing, it would help the situation more than harm it.

"So, Dad, how's the office while I've been away?" Anna asked, snapping Henry back to reality.

"Hmm?" Henry asked.

"I said 'how's the office' while I've been away?" Anna asked.

"Oh, it's been fine. Your mother retired from training Aurors full time though." Henry smiled.

It had been two years since Henry had sent his daughter on a mission that would have ultimately killed her if she had not been so smart. Henry knew she was late because she had to spend s good amount of time pleaing with the committee about her use of magic in the presence of muggles.

"How'd your meeting with the committee go?" Henry asked.

"Dad, you know we don't like work mixed with family." Anna said softly.

"I want to know" Henry asked curiously.

"Well, given the circumstances and what not, they ultimately dismissed it stating that there was too much work done on the case to justify revoking my wand use." Anna stated.

"Well, that's good I suppose" Lily commented.

"Dad, can I be honest?" Anna looked at her father.

"Yeah, I suppose so?" Henry said, taking a spoonful of potatoes.

"I don't want to go another mission ever again" Anna sighed heavily.

"I know" Henry agreed.

"Well, let's change the topic, shall we?' Lily smiled, no longer wanting to think about her daughter falling off the face of the earth for two years any longer.

O.o.o.O

Henry sat back in his office chair again, the fire roaring in the fire place, an orange glow covering the whole room.

He sat back rubbing his eyes in thought while picking up the glass of aged whiskey, taking a small sip of it. He sighed quietly and looked up at Anna who was laying on the rug next to the fire.

"I'm not going to lie, but you took way too many notes and yet not a single witch or wizard figured it out?" Henry said.

"Yeah, I kept them as journals that I then hid away where only I could find them in case everything that could go wrong would go wrong." Anna replied.

"Well, I'm proud of you" Henry smiled, "You managed to infiltrate one of the biggest dark magic rings of your generation and bring it down without them ever suspecting it."

"Like Severus Snape?" Anna asked.

"Yes and no" Henry replied, "Severus Snape was a Death Eater before he was good, but then once your great grandparents were killed, he realized his mistake and then became a double spy of sorts."

"Ah, cool." Anna replied.

Henry quietly knew that she had grown and changed and had experiences that no witch or wizard should go through. He had gone through the same at her age as a young Auror.

"Anna, theres something I should tell you" Henry looked at his daughter.

"Yeah, dad?" Anna looked curiously worried.

"I'm retiring at the end of next year." Henry said.

"Really?" Anna looked surprised.

"Which means," Henry continued, "that Richards will become the Chief Auror and that leaves the Assistant Chief Auror position available. I've discussed it with the committee and they unanimously agree that you should be the chief Auror based on the work you did with this assignment."

"Dad!" Anna exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, the committee voted and you'll be the next Assistant Chief Auror" Henry smiled as Anna jumped up from the rug and hugged him tightly.

It was time for the next generation grow the legacies of his generation just as he and his wife had grown the legacies of their parents.